Charter Schools Announce Meal Guidelines

Lake Wales Charter Schools has announced an amendment to its policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the 2020-2021 school year.

All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at the following sites: Dale R. Fair Babson Park Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Janie Howard Wilson Elementary, Polk Avenue Elementary and Victory Ridge Academy.

In addition applications for free and reduced price lunches at Bok Academy South, Bok Academy North and Lake Wales High School, are now being taken.

Household size and income criteria will be used to determine eligibility. An application can not be approved unless it contains complete eligibility information. Once approved, meal benefits are good for an entire year and participants need to notify the organization of changes in income and household size.

Application forms are being sent to all homes with a letter to parents or guardians. To apply for free or reduced-price Meals, households must complete the application and return it to the school. Additional copies are available at the principal's office in each school. The information provided on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year.

Households that receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) are required to list on the application only the child's name, SNAP/TANF case number, and signature of adult household member. Foster children will receive free benefits regardless of the child's personal income or the income of the household.

Households with children who are considered migrants, homeless, or runaway should contact the district liaison Angela Heyward at 863-679-6560.

For the purpose of determining household size, deployed service members are considered a part of the household. Families should include the names of the deployed service members on their application. Report only that portion of the deployed service member's income made available to them or on their behalf to the family. Additionally, a housing allowance that is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative is not to be included as income.

All other households must provide the following information listed on the application:

• Total household income listed by gross amount received, type of income (e.g., wages, child support, etc.) and how often the income is received by each household member;

• Names of all household members – check the "no income" box if applicable; if household member is a child, list school name for each;

• Signature of an adult household member certifying the information provided is correct; and

• Social security number of the adult signing the application or the word "NONE" for this household member if he or she does not have a social security number.

If a household member becomes unemployed or if the household size changes, the school should be contacted. Children of parents or guardians who become unemployed should also contact the school.

Under the provisions of the Free and Reduced-Price meal policy, Chris Reams, LWCS Director of Food Service, will review applications and determine eligibility. If a parent or guardian is dissatisfied with the ruling of the official, he or she may wish to discuss the decision with the determining official on an informal basis. If the parent wishes to make a formal appeal, he or she may make a request either orally or in writing to Donna Dunson. 1 Highlander Way, Lake Wales, FL 33853.

Unless indicated otherwise on the application, the information on the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application may be used by the school system in determining eligibility for other educational programs.

Eligibility for free meals for a one-person household starts at $16,588, and 23,606 annually for reduced price.